For the money you're talking about, forget anything more than 2 years old. The technology has trickled down to the lower end stuff and that '96 Judy is antiquated and one step away from the dump heap. The 2001 Manitou is probably your best bet. I'm not a big fan of Rock Shox's lower end stuff, I think Manitou's are better all around. If you can get a good deal on a Marzocchi, that's the fork I'd recommend at any price point.(Coil Sprung, NOT AIR).
As far as deals go, just ask FUBAR5, he just bought a new fork I believe it was a Manitou X-VERT and he got a great deal on it. Plus, he loves searching the net for good deals, I'm sure he'll help out, but in the meantime check out
www.pricepoint.com they have some great closeouts on last years stuff.
BTW, what type of riding do you do and what kind of bike will this fork be on. The more information, the better we can help!
L8R G8R